Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1887-01-24
a TIlriIling Egperience.

Mrs. Il. ]. Townsley, the Chicago lady
who was an occupant of the stage coach
that toppled distance Of four hundred feet
down independence Pass, Colorado, last
month, without sustaining rs much as 8
scratch, is prepossessing young lady about
twenty-five years Of age Describing the
marvellous incident, the details of which
have not been printed before, she says; "At
daybreak on the morning Of December 10th
1 was awakened at my hotel in Leadville
and informed that the Aspen stage coach
was waiting for me. 1t was bitter cold, and
was showing so densely that the driver had
to pilot me TO the coach. | had on heavy,
double fold velvet dress, a sealskin sacque, q
buffalo robe pinned over my shoulders. my
head covered By fur cap, and my face en-
veloped in shawl, allowing sn aperture
for my eyes. Despite all these projections
l was frightfully cold. The coach was
drawn by six horses and was on wheels.
We were preceded by the Granite coach,
which was on runners. The road over Elk
Mountain is q natural one that will admit Of
but single coach passing. ct the apex Of
the mountain the Granite coach halted in
the station blasted out of the rock and al
lowed Us to 90 ahead. Here the descent
began. The road at this point runs ct an
incline of forty five degrees. The driver
put ON his lock-chain to the wheels, thus
virtually converting them into runners.
The vehicle, despite these precautions,
and by it's own weight, went down
at frightfnl rate. We could barely keep
our seats We balanced ourselves as best
we could. Running up from TIE truck, and
through the boz of the coach, was & perpen
dicular bar Of steel called the king-pin. l
clung to this, and managed TO keep myself
right side up. Down the narrow path in
the side of the mountain, we went with the
horses in mad gallop, to keep the cosch
from running them down. We were round
ing Independence Pass, when suddenly The
driver cried: Jump! jump for your"
He never finished the sentence. Hehad been
holding the coach as near the embankment
as the narrow pass would permit. Ahead OF
him he saw q heavy boulder t0pple and iell
down the mountain side and into the path.
This caused him to make the cry Of warning.
The obstruction was but twenty yards ahead
Of him, and il was beyond human power 10
stay the impetus the coach had gotten COM
ing down the incline. | saw the driver leap.
Inside we ell held on to the king pin. Down
we went, and in another instant the forward
wheels struck the rock. The hind part of
the coach was thrown forward and outward.
and the king-pin snapped asunder Like
reed The box, with asi i'll it, weat over the
precipice on its side, and through the WIN
dow l fell out Less fortunate than myself,
the coach and my fellow-tourists lodged in
g crevice on the side Of q precipice some one
hundred and eighty feet below the road.
was thrown out with such force that clear
Al, hp
full four hundred feet to the bed Of the can
on and into bank OF snow, cutting my way
into it as if it was water, head first. The
Granite coach, Just to the rear ofus, pull
ed into q notch in the rocks, and the driver
and some prospectors got cut and began 10
climb down to where I hsd lodged. Arm
cd with shovels, they began to dig Ene
out, and it is curious to relate, tbs one flesh
wound received was from the blade of q
shovel, which plowed up q furroW in my
ankle when they reached me. was finally
dug out unconscious, and to all appearances
dead Restoratiyes were administered, and
I was taken up ard carried to the dollhouse
at the head of the cliff. Here my hands
and limbs were rubbed and my faced slap
ped until my cheeks were raw. But all 10
no avail. was black in the face, and there
was no audible respiration. [ was left IN
the care cf the tollkeeper and the Granite
coach passengers, while the two drivers
started for Aspen, thirteen miles distant, to
summon surgical aid. One of the party re.
turned at midnight with doctor. In the
meantime had revived and had. in COM
pany with the tollkeeper, gone down in q
sleigh to the dinner station, three miles be-
low, and was administering to the wounded
and dying, All of the rest had sustained
frightful injuries in their fall Of $50 feet,
while I, falling over twice the distance,
came out Of the disaster, sustaining no other
injuries than 6 bruise inflicted by the
shovel"
MURDER AND ATTEMPTED SUICIDE